How do you get the world’s biggest start-up on the right people's radar?

Challenge

When Kyndryl spun off from IBM, it faced a brand awareness problem. Despite its size and expertise, many enterprise customers still saw it as part of IBM. To win in the market, Kyndryl needed to establish itself as an independent leader in mission-critical IT modernisation, and do it fast. 

Our Approach

Reaching the right people meant getting laser-focused. We developed an account-based marketing (ABM) strategy for Kyndryl, targeting decision-makers with 11 specific job titles in 29 priority accounts across three industries in A/NZ.

Deep audience understanding:

• We began with stakeholder interviews to uncover customer pain points, buying triggers, and perceptions of the brand. Speaking with Kyndryl’s internal teams helped us understand how they engaged with their customers and where we could help drive more meaningful conversations.
• With these insights, we refined broad analyst research into personalised messaging that spoke directly to the needs of key decision-makers.

Mapping the digital audience journey:

• Kyndryl needed content that was accessible, engaging, and relevant to each stage of the customer journey. We mapped audience needs and developed a structured approach to deliver the right information at the right time.
• To build awareness, LinkedIn in-mail and in-feed ads delivered bite-sized content from analyst reports, sparking initial interest in Kyndryl’s expertise.
• To drive deeper consideration and engagement, we reimagined complex, dense reports into landing pages that were more accessible, visually engaging, and aligned with Kyndryl’s brand. The pages provided easy-to-digest insights and quick takeaways while still offering the option to dive deeper into the full research.

Strategic events: 

• The digital content journey set the stage for in-person engagement. Kyndryl hosted a series of closed-door events, bringing together IT decision-makers from target accounts to deepen engagement and strengthen relationships. 
• Following these sessions, we sustained momentum with targeted email content that directed attendees to the landing pages, reinforcing Kyndryl’s positioning and continuing the conversation beyond the event.

Working collaboratively with sales: 

• To ensure the campaign extended beyond marketing, we equipped Kyndryl’s account teams with content designed to facilitate deeper conversations and drive conversions. This included:
  
  • Tailored presentations aligned with customer pain points
  • Collateral designed as leave-behinds for meetings
  • Follow-up email templates to continue engagement

Building spokesperson eminence:

• Positioning Kyndryl’s senior leaders as industry experts was critical to reinforcing brand credibility. 
• We mapped key themes from analyst research to Kyndryl’s senior leaders and crafted LinkedIn Pulse content that showcased their thought leadership in mission-critical IT modernisation.